List of English words of Spanish origin
This is a list of English language words of Spanish language origin.
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Standard English words of Spanish origin
- adobe
- from Spanish, from Arabic al-tob > from Coptic tubo
- alligator
- from el lagarto, ="the lizard"
- barbecue
- from Spanish barbacoa> from Taino
- booby
- from bobo
- bronco
- from bronco
- buckaroo
- from vaquero, ="cowboy"
- burro
- from burro, ="donkey"
- burrito
- from burrito, = a dish originally from Northern Mexico, literally "little donkey"
- cacique
- from Spanish> Taino
- cafeteria
- from cafetero
- cargo
- from cargo, carga
- cigar
- from cigarro
- cigarrette
- from French cigarette, diminutive of French cigare> Spanish cigarro
- cannibal
- from Spanish canibal > caríbal > from Caribe
- canoe
- from Spanish canoa > from Haitian
- canyon
- from cañón
- chile
- from Spanish chile> Nahuatl chilli
- chocolate
- from Spanish > Nahuatl xocolatl
- cocoa
- from Spanish cacao> Nahuatl cacáhuatl
- comrade
- from French camarade > Spanish camarada
- coyote
- from Spanish coyote> Nahuatl coyotl
- guerrilla
- from guerrilla
- hacienda
- from hacienda
- hammock
- from Spanish hamaca>from Arawak
- hoosegow
- from juzgado
- hurricane
- from Spanish huracán, from Taino
- iguana
- from Spanish iguana> from Arawak
- jaguar
- from Spanish jaguar>Guaraní yaguar
- llama
- from Spanish llama> from Quecha
- maize
- from Spanish maiz> from Taino mahís
- marijuana
- from marihuana
- mesa
- from mesa which means table. The corresponding Spanish word to a flat top mountain is meseta)
- mosquito
- from mosquito, = "mosquito", literally "little fly",
- mulatto
- from mulato, partly from Portuguese mulato
- mustang
- from mestengo or mestenco, =without known master or owner (archaic)
- nada
- from nada, = "nothing"
- negro
- from negro, ="black"
- patio
- from patio
- peccadillo
- from pecadillo
- peccary
- from Spanish pecarí> from Guaraní
- plaza
- from plaza
- potato
- from Spanish batata, = "sweet potato"> from Taino
- pronto
- from pronto
- ranch
- from rancho
- renegade
- from renegado
- rodeo
- from rodeo
- salsa
- from salsa, = "sauce"
- savvy
- from sabe, = "know" (third person singular, present indicative)
- siesta
- from siesta
- sombrero
- from sombrero, (literally, shade maker)
- tiri
- from tiro
- tomato
- from Spanish tomate> from Nahuatl
- tornado
- from tornado
- tuna
- from atún
- vamoose
- from vamos
English slang words of Spanish origin
List of words of Spanish origin used as English slang, but have not entered the standard lexicon.
- agua
- water
- amigo
- friend
- bueno
- good
- carne
- meat
- chico(-a)
- boy, girl
- cinco
- five
- cuatro
- four
- de
- of
- del
- of the
- dinero
- money
- dos
- two
- gracias
- Thank you
- grande
- large
- hombre
- man
- manana
- mañana, tomorrow = both tomorrow and morning in English
- mano
- hand, but in English it usually is used in reference to a fight
- muchacho
- young man
- mucho
- a lot of
- muy
- very
- nino(-a)
- niño, little boy, little girl. Also used as a meteorological term El Nino.
- ocho
- eight
- padre
- father, used in English as slang for a Roman Catholic priest.
- que
- ¿qué?, what?
- queso
- cheese
- sombrero
- hat, but in English it is used to describe a Mexican hat.
- tres
- three
- uno
- one